Thanksgiving fire safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association.
View the NFPA’s Thanksgiving day Safety Flyer
The kitchen is the heart of the home, especially at Thanksgiving. Kids love to be involved in holiday preparations. Safety in the kitchen is important, especially on Thanksgiving Day when there is a lot of activity and people at home.
Safety tips
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop so you can keep an eye on the food.
- Stay in the home when cooking your turkey and check on it frequently.
- Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay 3 feet away.
- Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
- Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
- Keep knives out of the reach of children.
- Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
- Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
- Never leave children alone in room with a lit a candle.
- Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.
Cooking safety and kids
Thanksgiving is a great time to let kids help out in the kitchen. Download our “Kids in the Kitchen” guide for ideas on what different age groups can do around the kitchen as you prepare your holiday meal.
Fast Facts
- Cooking is the leading cause of home fires on Thanksgiving Day.***
- Cooking fires nearly double on Thanksgiving Day, occurring more than twice as often than on another day.***
- Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries.***
- Thanksgiving Day home fires cause more property damage and claim more lives than home fires on other days.**
- Eighty percent of Americans don’t realize that home fires are the single most common disaster across the nation.*
- The number of home fires the American Red Cross has responded to has risen 10% since 2000.*
- Every two and a half hours someone is killed in a home fire. In a typical year, 20,000 people are injured in home fires.**
- Having a working smoke alarm reduces one’s chances of dying in a fire by nearly half.**
Sources:
*American Red Cross
**U.S. Fire Administration
***National Fire Protection Association.